Leukemia
by E. Limberg
Summary: Set after All Access. Frankie's mother comes to visit Stella and ends up telling her that her other son has leukemia and will die in a year. Stella is really upset from this. She knows what she must do to save his life. Mac and Stella later on.
1. The Diagnosis

**Leukemia**

**Chapter 1: The Diagnosis**

"I'm looking for Detective Bonasera," the woman tells the receptionist for the crime lab.

"I'll page her for you," the receptionist says.

"Thank you."

The curly-haired detective shows up a few minutes later. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Detective Bonasera?" Stella nods. "I'm Jessica Mala. I was told you were the woman my son attacked last week."

"Why don't we go to my office?" Stella suggests, leading the way.

"I'd like to apologize for what my son did," the dark-haired woman begins, taking a seat across from Stella. "He's never shone any signs of violence before. I'm not sure why he came after you.

"Frankie loved art. I'm sure you knew that. He knew so much about all these famous works of art and was always sharing his knowledge. I've got all these little things, sculptures, he's made for me at home. He was good at it," the woman explains.

Stella chooses not to mention how creepy she thought the statue he made her looked.

"I can't believe he's gone. I mean, it's not your fault; you were just protecting yourself."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Stella says quietly. "Did you know about his… website?"

"Website?"

Stella instantly feels sorry for ruining the mother's good image of her son. "I… your son, Frankie… was, um. I'm not sure how to tell you this, but he was taping the two of us in bed together."

"Frankie would never do that," Mrs. Mala defends.

Stella is not in the mood to argue. "I think your son did a lot of things last week no one would expect him to."

"How'd you… what did he…" she points under her eye, indicating the cut on Stella cheek.

"He made me this statue, the name being my last name backwards. When I looked it up, I discovered… the website. In anger I got rid of a statue he made me. Frankie was upset with me and that, combined with me breaking up with him was too much, and he tied me up. I tried to… to convince him I loved him, but he… didn't believe me," Stella retells of that night for the millionth time.

A tear escapes the woman's eye. Stella offers her a box of tissues, causing the cuts on her fingers to be visible. "Did you get in a fight over a knife?"

She looks down at her fingers. "He… threatened me with one, but we never fought over it. I used my razorblade to get out of the bathtub. We did fight over my gun though."

"I don't want to know anymore of the story, and I don't think you need to keep telling it over again and again. I'm sorry for putting you through the terrible event again."

"I'm okay."

"I know I shouldn't blame you for all my problems. If Frankie wouldn't have done this, we wouldn't be in this situation. It's just easier because you were the one holding the gun. But you were only doing it for your own safety, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Detective."

Stella's curiosity, of course, makes it presence known. "What's wrong? Besides… Frankie being dead."

"My other son, Nick, was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. Frankie was his only chance for survival; no one else we know matches him blood type. By this time next year, he won't be alive."

Stella can't help the pang of guilt she feels: in killing Frankie, she had taken another innocent life. And there was only one thing she could think of to stop him from dying, and even then it might not work.

**A/N: I think this idea came when I was watching some episode of CSI: Miami over the summer. It had something to do with Horatio's brother's daughter having some kind of disease and his other wife's son having to save her or whatever. And everyone always writes Frankie's brother as trying to get revenge on Stella. Anyway, I was so mad at Mac after Wednesday. I'm not sure whether I want to kill Mac or Peyton more. And then when Stella got all nasty with Lindsay. Am I the only one who thinks she has something against Lindsay, first in Open and Shut and now this? She's definitely got a temper. I'll post again Sunday or Monday. And I'm so happy I got my CSI Santa story done. Now I have to edit it and submit it.**


	2. Pregnant and Hormonal

**Chapter 2: Pregnant and Hormonal**

"Are you busy?" Stella asks Mac, stepping into his office.

"Just paperwork, but it's waited this long, another day won't hurt," he looks up, noticing her unusual appearance. "Do you need to switch cases, Stel? Or time off?"

"No, I… I just need to talk to you."

"Go ahead," Mac indicates for her to sit.

"I just had a visit from… Frankie's mother. She wanted to apologize for what he did. Without meaning to, she let it slip that her other son, Frankie's brother, he has… leukemia. Frankie was the only blood match to him. I… I can't help but blame myself. He's going to die because I killed his only chance for survival," she breaks down crying.

"It's not your fault, Stella. There's nothing you can do to save him."

"I think there might be," she watches him come over and sit next to her on the couch. "I'm a… almost a week late."

"Late for what?" Mac asks in typical guy fashion, confused.

"You know, _late_?"

"Oh. You and Frankie are… how long have you known?"

"I kind of suspected the day after… and I have a self test, but I'm not sure I want to know," she explains quietly, not looking at him.

"He didn't know when he… came after you last week, did he?" She shakes her head. "You need to find out soon, Stel."

"I'll call my doctor and see if I can get in tomorrow. Maybe it will be a good thing if it helps to keep him alive."

**CSI: NY **

"Are you?" Mac asks, seeing her come up to him after she got back from the doctor. She nods slightly. "If everything goes okay and the baby survives, I'll help you, Stella."

"On one hand I want to save Nick, but on the other I don't need a reminder of Frankie everyday. I suppose I should tell his mother what's going on. But then what if I get her hopes up, and I have the baby, and it ends up not being the right blood type? Then I went through that for nothing, and now I've got a kid to take care of."

"It'll work out, Stella."

"You can't guarantee that, Mac. There's no way you can know what happens in the future," Stella lets him hold her tightly to his body, trying to comfort her. "When I was a kid, they'd always say someone would come and adopt me. It never happened. Happy ending are overrated; they're not real."

"You can't seriously believe that? You saved yourself last week; he didn't kill you. That's happy."

"It's not the end, Mac. The end will be when Nick dies too, all because of me."

"Are you hormonal already?" he jokes, not succeeding in cracking a smile on her face. She glares disbelievingly at him. "That's not the Stella I know and love."

"I've changed, Mac. I can't – wait, did you just say you loved me?"

"Yes, and I mean it. I've loved you since the day we met, and I've never stopped. Now, you're going to believe in happy ending or something _will_ go wrong. I can't lose you, Stel. I'm pretty sure you love me too. Happy enough ending for you?" Mac confesses.

"No, this is still the middle. By the end it might not be happy. I'm too much trouble; you don't need someone like me," she walks out on him.

'_This is really getting to her. She's never been like this before and I don't like it,'_ Mac thinks, watching her go.

'_I just missed my one shot with him, the only man I've ever been in love with. It's really over before it even began,_' she thinks, hurrying away so no one would notice her tears.

**A/N: I gotta do this fast; I'm inbetween band concerts. Hope you like it. Wow, that was short for once.**


	3. Just One Chance

**Chapter 3: Just One Chance**

"I'm pregnant with your son's child," Stella tells Mrs. Mala a couple weeks later.

"You mean there might still be a chance?"

"It's a possibility. I grew up in an orphanage, never knowing my parents. I have no idea if this type of blood runs in my family or what. It all depends on Frankie."

"Were you and my son… trying to have kids or even planning on getting married?" Mrs. Mala asks.

"No, I'm on birth control pills; the doctor said that the maker has been having a lot of complaints of it not working. That added with the stress of my job probably caused it not to work. If he was planning on… proposing, I didn't know about it," Stella admits.

"If this child is an accident, I'm sorry he also had to leave a piece of himself behind for you. Are you planning on keeping the baby?"

She nods, "I couldn't put any child up for adoption after growing up in the system."

"I should leave before your boss gets really mad at you for wasting time on the job."

Stella looks outside the wall behind her, "Mac doesn't mind. He's helped me through all of this."

As Mrs. Mala heads to the door, Mac enters. "If you need any help, Detective, call me."

"What do you need, Mac?"

"Why don't you believe me when I say I love you?"

"I want to, Mac, but the last person who said that to me tried to kill me."

"Stella, just give me a chance. I want to help you raise the baby. I haven't been here for you for five years; it's time I paid my debt," Mac says, kissing her cheek.

"What, you think by telling me about your love you're helping me? For all I know you're lying to ease your guilt."

He kisses her lips, "You know how hard it is for me to move on after Claire. I thought you'd know that I'd really have to care about you to do that."

"I believe you, Mac. And I love you too. But why do you want someone as troublesome as me?" she asks.

"When you love someone, you learn to adapt to them and help change their lifestyle."

"So if you were to abuse me, I'd deal with it if I really loved you?"

"No, I hope you'd get away from me if I hit you. I can help you change you "troublesomeness", but you really aren't a problem, Stel. Just give me one chance, please," Mac begs.

"Frankie got me pregnant, Mac, not you. Why are you trying to fix his mistakes?"

"It's his fault, but you shouldn't have to suffer anymore because of him. Children should be raised with two parents, not one. I'll help you, Stel. Please," he touches her cheek softly.

"I… Mac, I love you. And as much as I believe in raising children with two parents when it's your fault for getting pregnant anyway, you shouldn't have to do this for me," she removes his hand from her cheek but doesn't let go.

"You know I'm going to help you whether you want it or not, so just give in," Mac grins slyly and leans in to kiss her.

She turns her head, causing him to kiss her cheek instead. "Are you planning on trying to date me or help me raise the baby?"

"I want to do both. But I'll wait until you're comfortable before we start dating, if that's okay with you."

"I've waited forever for you to ask that. And yes, I'll accept your offer. I need a few weeks though before we go out. You can help with the baby too, when it comes, since you insist," she smiles, letting him kiss her this time.

"I'll be waiting impatiently until you're ready. No pressure, Stella."

**A/N: Last day of school. Yeah!!!! NY on at ten, just to let you know. And Veronica isn't on again. Update Thursday, probably. Oh, we have a fish tank and all the things are named after CSI characters. We've had like five Horatio snails. Last time my mom got a black colored one that I named Peyton and the other bluish one wasn't never named. It died (unnamed one) like the week before Mac and Peyton broke up. I said it was sign that Peyton would still be on because it wasn't that snail who died. Well, last week, it died. So now we have Horatio Jr. Jr. Jr. and Peyton Jr. Maybe it means she'll go away again. But I guess we'll have to wait a few weeks until the new episodes come back to see. Stella seriously needs to do something. **


	4. Time

**Chapter 4: Time**

"What are you doing here, Stel? You're not allowed to work until after you have the baby, plus maternity leave," Mac asks as she enters his office, baby due in almost a week.

"I think the baby's coming, Mac," Stella says in a small, scared voice.

"You've got to get to the hospital!"

"The traffic's awful, and there's a snow storm. It'd be faster to walk," she says.

"Why'd you stop here?"

"I want you to be with me when she comes. Hurry, it's starting to hurt."

Mac leads her to the elevator. As the car starts moving he calls Lindsay to tell her. "The baby's coming. I've got to -" the elevator jerks to a stop abruptly, lights flickering before going out.

"Mac," Stella cries out worriedly.

"Are you okay, Stel?"

"I'm about to give birth, and the elevator just broke. I perfectly fine, Mac," she says sarcastically.

"I know you're probably even more nervous than before. We'll be okay. The baby will be fine," he tries to convince her.

"No, it – ow!" she yells in pain.

Her cell rings and Mac answers it. "Stella, Mac's on the way to the hospital, but the power went out because of the storm," Lindsay bursts out. Stella groans. "Stel?"

"It's Mac."

"She's right next to you in the elevator, isn't she?"

"Yeah. It doesn't look to good. Can they turn the generator on?"

"It's on, but only where it is needed. Hawkes went to tell maintenance there's a person trapped in the elevator."

"Call him and tell him there's also a woman trapped in here in labor."

"Mac, I don't think I can keep the baby in much longer," Stella says, leaning against the wall.

"I've got to go," he hangs up. "Don't try to hold it in. Just do it. I'm here to help you."

"Do you know what to do in this situation?"

"Yes, I was trained in helping give birth in emergencies."

"Did that include a pitch-black elevator?"

"No. Don't worry, Stel. Just pretend we're in the hospital."

"Mac, I'm scared. Where are you?"

"Over by the doors. You?" he asks, crawling around to feel for her.

"The back, I think," she says. Just as he reaches her she screams again.

"I hurt you?"

"No, contractions."

"Push, Stella."

"Mac, I still have my pants on."

"Let me help you," he assists her in undressing.

"What if she comes out wrong?"

"She won't."

"She might."

"We'll worry about that if it happens."

"Ow. She's coming, Mac," Stella grabs his hand just as the lights come back on.

"Not to scare you, but I don't have anything to cut the umbilical cord with," he says quietly.

A noise comes from the top of the elevator, and a tile of the roof is removed. Two paramedics jump down. "Help's come. Let's see." One cuts the cord with scissors while the other wraps the baby in a blanket.

"She looks healthy," the paramedic smiles at Stella. "We should be able to get you out of here in a minute. They were almost done hooking up everything from the elevator to the generator."

"Do you have a name for her?"

Stella looks at Mac. "It's your choice, Stella. She's not really my daughter," he tells her.

"Elizabeth Claire Taylor."

**A/N: More about my fish tank: Stella is the fish, Mac and Gil are frogs, and Peyton Jr. and Horatio Jr. Jr. Jr. are snails. I figured out that my theory couldn't be correct because the other three Horatios we had died, but he never did on the show : ( There've lots of others too but they died. And for the next MS story I'm writing, would you guys prefer Hawkes or Flack for Stella (you'll learn why later when I post it)? Don't worry; it's mostly Mac and Stella. By the way, what's happened to all the MS fans lately? There's very few stories for them.**


	5. Should I?

**Chapter 5: Should I?**

"Mac," Stella whispers, opening her yes in a hospital bed. "Mac?"

A nurse walks in. "Your boyfriend? Detective Taylor?" Stella nods. "He went to get something to eat. Should be back soon. Would you like me to bring your daughter in?" She nods again.

She comes back a few minutes later, Mac behind with a bag of food. "Brought you some halfway decent food so you don't have to eat the cafeteria food. Lindsay and the others should be here soon; they're coming after shift."

"Thanks," she smiles, taking the baby from the nurse.

"Is he the father?" she asks, pointing to Mac.

Stella shakes her head. "Her father tried to kill me and ended up with three bullets in his chest."

"He's dead then?" Stella nods. "Is he helping you?"

"Yes."

"Nice guy. Handsome. You're lucky to have him. Well, I'll leave you alone now. Call me if you need anything," the nurse leaves.

"She's just as beautiful as her mother," Mac kisses both of them before sitting beside the bed.

"I'm sure I look real great after that wonderful experience. I think I'll just stick to adopting if I want more kids," she teases.

"The doctor said both of you are fine. You should be able to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Has her blood been tested to Nick's yet?"

"Yes, and it is a match."

"That's good, isn't it?" she asks.

"You've got a grown man that a baby's going to have to help in three months' time. We're talking blood transfusions and bone marrow and who knows what else. It's up to you, Stel, and if you want to put your daughter through that. I think you should talk to Mrs. Mala before deciding."

"I feel like I have to help him. It's my fault if he dies," she sadly watches her baby, unsure of what is right.

"Congratulations, Stella!" Lindsay bursts in, waking the baby. "Can I hold her?" The guys follow her in. Stella hands her over. "She's so adorable."

"What did you name her?" Hawkes asks.

"Elizabeth Claire."

"She's got your curls already, Stella," Danny teases.

"I don't see any of Frankie in her at all," Don says.

"I do," Stella jumps, hearing the other female voice. Mrs. Mala steps forward. "She looks a lot like Frankie did when he was young. Can I hold her?"

Stella nods, and Lindsay hands her over. "Can I speak to her privately?" All leave, Mac heading to the door when Stella stops him. "Please stay."

"Does her blood match?"

"Yes."

"You mean he's going to live after all?"

"I don't know how to tell you this but… I don't want my daughter to have to give blood transfusions or whatever every year to help your son. I feel bad and all, but it's not my fault Frankie died," Stella explains, taking her baby back.

"Not your fault? Well you just keep telling yourself that 'cause now you've killed two people," Mrs. Mala yells.

"It's not Stella's fault. Frankie should have realized what he was risking when he came after her," Mac steps between the women.

"My son would have never hurt her. She staged it; she'd know how since she works at crime scenes."

"Why would she cut her own face and hands purposely just so she could shoot your son?" Mac asks, voice rising.

"I'm suing. Your daughter will soon be used to save my son; I might even fight for custody. I wouldn't trust the woman who killed my son to raise my grandchild," Mrs. Mala storms out.

Stella looks worriedly at Mac, "She can't take Elizabeth away."

**A/N: I don't know when I'll update again. Maybe tomorrow or Christmas or the day after. One of those. Pumpkin pie smells awful. My mom made me take it downstairs to put in the fridge. Ugh, I couldn't breath. I'm still torn between Stella with Hawkes or Flack for my other story. Any suggestions? Of course she'll be with Mac, but what if he can't be there? Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!**


	6. Visiting

**Chapter 6: Visiting**

"I'll get her," Mac says as they hear Elizabeth start to cry on the baby monitor.

"You have to work tomorrow. I'll take care of her," Stella puts a hand on his arm to stop him from getting up. "Besides, she's probably hungry, and you can't really solve that."

"Stel, you got up last night. And I took the rest of the week off to help you."

"Fine, you can get up," Stella lays back down on the bed as Mac gets up.

"Okay, you were right; she's got to be hungry because I can't find anything else wrong," Mac comes back in five minutes later and hands Stella her daughter.

"I don't think she likes you, Mac," Stella says after Elizabeth stops crying.

"Or she's just being a pain like her mother," he teases.

"Go back to sleep," she says.

"Good night again, Stella, Elizabeth," he kisses each of them before falling asleep again.

**CSI: NY **

Mac's cell phone rings a few hours later. "Taylor. Okay, I'll be there in twenty."

"I thought you said you took off," Stella complains, not moving away from him.

"I did. There's some kind of problem with the computers that only I can fix or something like that. It shouldn't take that long."

"So you abandon us for work?" she asks as he gets up.

"I bet I'll be back before you get up," he says.

"See you later."

**CSI: NY **

At eight-thirty Stella decides she had better get up. Mac is still not back; whatever he had to do is obviously taking longer than he thought. She pours herself a cup of coffee Mac must have started before leaving, then goes to check on Elizabeth. As she stands by the crib, her daughter's eyes open, and the baby smiles up at her mother.

"Did you have a good nap?" Stella asks, picking up the baby. She takes her to the family room and fastens the child into her swing, figuring she'll feed her after she eats breakfast herself. Wondering into the kitchen, she finds an orange in the fridge and starts peeling it.

A knock sounds as Stella takes a bite, and she goes to answer it. "What are you doing here?" she asks coldly.

"I've talked to a lawyer," Mrs. Mala says, walking into the apartment.

"So?"

"Give me the child, Stella, or I will take you to court."

"You can't take Elizabeth away from me. She's my daughter, and it's my decision whether or not I let her be used to help your son," Stella argues.

"You can have other children with your boyfriend. Give me Elizabeth, and I'll raise her."

"I was going to let her be used this once so I would stop feeling guilty. But after that, you're on your own," Stella says.

"Really? But why not just give her to me? She can be my daughter, and I'll never have to bother you about this again. Please, Stella. You're still young; you can have as many children with him as you want. Where is he anyway?" Mrs. Mala asks.

"Mac had to go help with something at the lab."

"You should break up with him; obviously he doesn't care about you or the baby. Frankie probably took better care of you than Mac is."

"You're not getting Elizabeth. I'll let her do the blood transfusions this time, but don't come back to me when your son is sick again."

"I want custody of her," Mrs. Mala says. "We're still going to court."

"You won't win."

"What are you going to do with her when she starts to look like my son who tried to kill you? The nightmares will come back to you, and you won't be able to take it. Where are you going to put her then so you don't have to deal with your past? The court will find you incapable of fulfilling the needs of Elizabeth, and I'll be her mother."

"And how will you explain to her that her father tried to kill her mother so her grandmother twisted the story to get custody of her just to save her father's dying brother? When you keep Nick alive you're just hurting him. His life will continue to be miserable even with the transfusions," Stella's eyes shine brightly with tears, fearing for her daughter.

**A/N: I'm so proud of myself. I've written three chapters in four days; now it's half-way done. Hope you all had a great Christmas. I entertained my cousin Christmas Eve by sending her all these pictures of disgusting (to her) dead people, mostly from Bones because I've sent her most of the people from NY. Hm... I should search regular CSI. And then today both my grandma and grandpa, who are officially divorced as of like three weeks ago, somehow ended up at my house together. They didn't fight; that's got to be a first. And unlike last year, grandma didn't end up at the hospital; Christmas last year was awful. Anyway, only three more chapters in the story. Then it might be a while before I get another story up here.**


	7. The Transfusion

**Chapter 7: The Transfusion**

Stella manages to keep the encounter to herself and not tell Mac about it, despite the fact that every time he asked if she was alright, she would say yes, and he seemed to believe her even though her body language clearly indicated she was not. That changes three days later at the hospital while their daughter is in the operating room.

"She came the other day while you had to run in to the lab. And she threatened to take Elizabeth because I killed her son, and she doesn't think I can raise a child that might look like the man who tried to kill me."

"Mrs. Mala?" Stella nods. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She ignores his question. "She said we can still have children of our own so we wouldn't be missing anything. Then she said Frankie took better care of me than you do because you went to work the other day and weren't with me."

"I had to or I'd have a lot of work when I went back. You know that," Mac says.

"I know," Stella agrees.

"I'm not going to let her take Elizabeth."

"You can't say that. If the jury decides I can't raise her, we'll have to give her up; you'll get in trouble for withholding her."

"Stella, you're perfectly fine. They won't take your child away. Why did you hide that from me for three days?" Mac asks again.

"I didn't want to seem… scared or bothersome to you."

"Don't hold your emotions in, Stel. You are strong, which is a good thing for our job, but sometimes I think you're too strong," he says quietly.

"That's nice, coming from you. You buried yourself after Claire past. I can't just… open up. I grew up alone, keeping to myself. I still keep to myself, or at least what I feel," she says, angry at first but turning to sadness.

"You need to vent or you'll end up exploding on a friend like I did."

"Miss Bonasera," the doctor comes out of the operating room. "Your daughter is fine. They're taking her to a recovery room now. Nick is doing okay. It'll be awhile before we know if the blood took or not."

"She's not giving blood for him again; they'll have to deal with it," Stella says.

"I'm sure she won't have to donate again for a year or so."

"I -" she begins.

"That's good," Mac cuts her off.

"You should be able to leave in a few hours," the doctor leaves.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Mrs. Mala before," Stella whispers.

"It's okay, Stella. Don't worry about it; Elizabeth won't be taken away," Mac kisses her softly.

"Your daughter is in a room now; she should be waking up soon," a nurse says, leading them to her.

They sit next to Elizabeth's bed quietly, Stella putting her head on Mac's shoulder. Just as she falls asleep, the baby wakes up. Mac looks down at Stella, surprised she hasn't said anything yet. He is a little frightened knowing he's alone in taking care of the child for now while Stella's sleeping. He gets up, careful not to wake Stella, and picks up his daughter, or at least that's what he considers her, rocking her gently.

"You're just like your mother," he says as Elizabeth grabs his tie. "She hates it when I wear these." Elizabeth seems to laugh at that.

Stella opens her eyes, watching them. "You're good with her, Mac."

He turns around, smiling, and hands her their daughter. "She didn't cry that time," but as soon he says that, she lets out a whimper. "Maybe you should feed her."

"I think we should start to bottle feed her," she suggests.

"Embarrassed, Stella? I've already seen you without clothes; it doesn't bother me," Mac teases. She smacks him in the arm. "Do what you want, Stella."

"I think I will so I can make you get up in the middle of the night to feed her."

**A/N: Question: The team got kicked off Sheldon's case because they worked with him; how come when the found Stella in her apartment when she killed Frankie they weren't forbidden to work the case? They just as easily tampered with evidence to prove self-defense. I know they didn't, but it could still happen. Any, must listen during Jamalot tonight. When she talks to Frankie on the phone, I swear she says she'll meet him at her place (when we later find out she wouldn't let men she dates come to her apartment). Maybe I was just imagining things. Oh, there was definitely an increase in MS stories around Christmas. It made me so happy. I'll post Friday.**


	8. Meeting the Victim

**Chapter 8: Meeting the Victim**

Stella answers the door, "Hello."

"Hi, I'm Nick Mala," the man says. "I believe you are Stella."

She nods slowly, fear rising for Elizabeth with Mac having gone to work today like he has the rest of the week, about a week and a half after the transfusion. Nick could easily overpower her and take the baby to save himself.

"My mother sent me to kidnap your daughter to save myself from the leukemia, but I swear I won't. At this point, I just want to die and get away from it," he says.

She looks curiously at him, "I tried to convince your mother that you're better off… letting life take its course, but she wouldn't listen."

"Can I take you out to lunch as a thank you for letting your daughter be used to help me even though I didn't want to be helped?" he asks.

Strangely Stella trusts him, "Okay, I've got to bring Elizabeth with me though."

"I don't mind," he says, following her in.

"Just let me grab my coat and the diaper bag," she reaches into the closet by the door. After wrapping Elizabeth in a blanket and putting a hat on her head, Stella hands her to Nick so she could put her coat on.

"She looks a lot like you," he smiles at the girl as they leave the apartment.

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in a little Italian restaurant. "I'm sorry for what my brother did to you," Nick begins. "He's never been violent before, especially with women. Sure, he got in a few fights as a kid, but what boy doesn't?"

"I never even suspected anything violent would happen, even after the website was discovered," Stella says.

"I… I knew about the website. Frankie showed me one time, but I never went back there. You're beautiful, but it was just wrong of him, especially when he said the best part was that you didn't know about it. I should have said something, gotten it taken off the internet, put him in prison before he could hurt you," he says.

"I could've had him stopped before he attacked me, but I didn't," she says quietly. "I wasn't expecting it." She takes out a bottle and hands it to Elizabeth.

"It must have been hard to find out you were pregnant with his child and not have an abortion or put her up for adoption."

"Your mother came to see me at work one day and accidentally ended up telling me about you. I couldn't help but think I had killed two people. I kind of suspected I was pregnant then, and it ended up I was, which I thought was a good thing because I could save you if the baby's blood matched. I gave birth on a pitch black, broken down elevator and afterwards, I wasn't sure I wanted her to be used for a blood transplant, so your mother threatened to file for custody if I wouldn't give her Elizabeth. She's still going to because she's afraid of losing you too," Stella explains.

"I won't let her take your daughter; I need to tell her, make her listen," he promises. Stella gives him a small smile of appreciation. "Don't blame yourself for Frankie's death, and don't blame yourself when I pass. It's not your fault."

"I used to think it was my fault; I pulled the trigger. But he forced me to and ended his own life. It's his fault you're going to die too because he got himself killed, leaving you helpless," Stella says.

"No, it's God's fault I'm going to die; he made me this way."

"After my childhood, I don't believe in Him. I grew up in an orphanage, never adopted in eighteen years. Left because no one wanted me."

"Sure they do," Nick says. "Elizabeth want you, your boyfriend wants you. I'm glad we had this chance to talk today."

**CSI: NY **

"Have a good day?" Mac asks, walking in later.

"I talked to Frankie's brother. We went out to lunch."

"Should I put surveillance in the bedroom?" he teases.

"He said his mother sent him to kidnap Elizabeth."

"Doesn't look like he succeeded."

"He's ready to die. He believes it's what God wants. I think his mother will stop threatening to take custody of the baby," Stella says blankly.

Mac sits next to her, kissing her cheek. "It's okay. He can't be saved any longer."

"Mac?"

"Yes, Stel?"

"If something ever happens and you have to chose between me surviving on life support and pulling the plug, let me go."

**A/N: Would have put this up sooner but I spent the night at my friend's. The night before I was at Grandma's with my cousin. SHe kept me up 'til two in the morning because she was writing some stupid story and didn't know how to spell half the words, and she thought there was someone in the closet. Oh, Stella does say she'll meet Frankie at her place. They apparently forgot that later on when they were writing All Access. Who took Mac to the roller derby, Peyton? She might have since she seemed to drag him to the opera (Mac looked happy when his phone rang). Anyway, last chapter to come soon. Maybe I'll post it at 11:30 to keep you all up until midnight. **


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue: One Year Later**

"Stella, this came for you today," the receptionist hands her an envelope. She opens it, unfolding a piece of paper. A check falls out, and she gasps as she reads the amount. Then she reads the letter:

_Stella,_

_It's time for me to move on. The money enclosed is for you and Elizabeth, and I suppose your husband can have part too. I know it won't pay for what Frankie did to you or for letting me live this past year. I'm sorry for the trouble the family has caused you. And now I must say goodbye. Remember, you are always loved._

_Love, _

_Nick Mala_

Crying, she enters Mac's office. "He died, Mac."

He gets up to comfort her, "It was time, Stella. Let him go."

"He gave us ten thousand dollars," she hands him the check.

"What? Why?" She gives him the letter. "Go home, Stel. Spend some time with your daughter."

"What about you?"

"I promise I won't work overtime. See you later," Mac kisses her before pushing her out the door.

"Are you taking the subway home?" she pokes her head back in. He nods. "I need the car key." He tosses his keys to her, expecting her to leave. "You might need that to get in," she smirks, laying the house key on his desk.

"Won't you let me in?"

"I don't know if I'll be home since I just got ten thousand dollars. We might go shopping," Stella smiles.

"Don't spend it all on yourself," he teases.

"I won't. I have to get your Valentine's present still. And it's to both Elizabeth and I, so we'll split the other nine thousand nine hundred ninety-five dollars," she sticks out her tongue.

"I'm only worth five dollars? You're cruel, Stella."

She kisses him goodbye, "I know."

**CSI: NY **

Mac enters his new house, finding his two girls asleep on the couch. It turned out he had to stay late because the police chief threatened to fire him if he didn't finish some paperwork. He could understand why the pair was asleep; it was after nine o'clock. Gently he kisses his wife of three months, then their one year old daughter on the forehead. Carefully he picks the toddler up and tucks her in bed. When he returns for Stella, she is not there.

"Stel?" he walks up behind her in the kitchen.

"You were supposed to be home four hours ago," she says angrily.

"I'm sorry, Stella. I had paperwork to finish if I wanted to keep my job."

"You couldn't have called?"

"I should have," he admits, hugging her.

"I was afraid something had happened, and I'd never see you again," a tear falls onto her cheek, and she wipes it away.

"I'm sorry I didn't call. And I'm fine. What did you have for dinner?" He looks in the refrigerator.

"I didn't eat. Elizabeth had macaroni."

"I'll make us a salad," he offers.

"Two separate salads, Mac. I don't like your French dressing," she smiles faintly, handing him the plates.

"Figures you'd like Italian," he teases.

"Taylor is not French."

"No, but I do have little bit of French blood in me from my mom's side," Mac explains. "Did you two go shopping today?"

"Nope."

"Well, I picked this up on the way home. It's an early Valentine's Day present," Mac hands her a box, which she opens.

Inside is a locket with Elizabeth's picture on one side and her and Mac's picture on the other. "Thank you so much, Mac. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to put it on since we're going to bed soon."

"You'll get the rest next week," he smiles.

"There's more?" He nods. "You're spending all this money on me, and I have no idea what to buy you."

"The usual box of chocolates is fine, Stella," Mac laughs, taking a glass of wine she offers.

"To a long and happy life together. And in celebration of Nick Mala." They hit glasses, and each takes a sip.

"I love you, Detective Taylor," Mac kisses her before taking a bite of lettuce.

"I love you too, Detective Taylor. That's got to be confusing."

"Who cares?" They laugh.

**A/N: And now the story's over. It might be a while before I get the next story started. I still have five chapters to write, and none of it is typed yet. But I'll try to get the first chapter up sometime this week. Hope you liked this one.**


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